For the image of Mars on the right I used 0 percent gamma and 100 percent saturation.

Both the changes made a positive impact for the image on the right: more saturation saturated the colors more and less gamma improved the contrast.

This test finalized my choices for gamma and saturation: gamma between 0 and 20 and saturation 75 to 100 percent. A setting of 50 percent for both these camera settings also proved ineffective during my other tests.

Not all my tests provide conclusive evidence and this is such a case.

While you are doing similar tests to test your webcam camera and telescope combination, you should also not let one test of one setting be your final conclusive evidence.

Here are some reasons while this test provides confusing/conflicting with common sense results:

• These tests were done 20 and 10 minutes before sunrise. That might cause the 360 seconds AVI done 10 minutes before sunrise to appear inferior to the 300 seconds AVI done 20 minutes before sunrise.

• These tests were capturing AVIs for 5 and 6 minutes respectively. The telescope's focus might have gone out of focus for the second test - making its camera settings appear inferior.

• This test was done after a full nights 'work'. I was tired and might have been overly hasty in doing this tests.

• Atmospheric seeing might have changed significantly between or during these 2 AVI capturing sessions. 5 minutes and 6 minutes respectively is a LONG time speaking in a seeing conditions sense.

When doing the tests, do setting 1's capturing of the AVI first, then setting 2 next. For the second test do setting 2 first, then setting 1 last. At least this way your first settings will not always have the benefit of having been done immediately after you focussed accurately.

Do NOT change focus while busy with one test if at all possible. Focussing in itself will provide significantly differerent results.

300 seconds clearly seem to be the best choice ... just look at the small black spot at the bottom center in each image as an example.

The longest I can expose AVIs might still be 240, 260 or 310 or 330 seconds. More tests must still be done to determine a more precise time limit.

The above 3 images of Mars just gave me a good starting point: 200s not enough, 300s excellent, 360s too much - for a 3x Barlow - giving f/30.

The astrophotography test I did on 16 July (at the bottom of that webpage) now makes sense ... I understand its results. Capturing Mars for 480 seconds started blurring the final stacked image, therefore it has the same quality as an AVI captured for only 75 seconds.

So capturing AVI frames for too long is not worth it - you must determine your maximum capture time as well. The maximum time limit will differ for different eyepiece projections and different barlow lens magnifications.

For example, on the 9th July I tested that 480 seconds for a 2x Barlow is signficantly better than 300 seconds. However, 480 seconds will be hopelessly too much for a 3x Barlow ... 360 seconds is already too much based on the images above.

I added some red to the webcam images above using Adobe's Image-Adjust-Variations menu option.